The Russellville Democrat., 1887-08-10
CORRESPONDENCE.
of tne pcmocrat

Correspondence of the Democrat
 WEBBER FALLS, l. T., July 3l. Alter . long and tiresome trip to the l far west, I am once more where l can sec the delight of southern farmer, vast fields of corn and cot ton. We have been on the move for about sixteen weeks, and you may be sure we are tired Of the Htrail.' Well I believe I wrote you last from this place, and thought would have written often, butt must confess that was so disappointed with the west that I could not afford to write anything favorable, and therefore did not write atall.
 I think 1 am now in the most fer tile country I ever saw. The farm CTS here report from 50 to 75 bushels of corn per acre, and from eighteen hundred to three thousand pounds of seed cotton per acre. Ihove tray eled through eight differe tribes of Indians and find tue q kees by far the most enlightened lbe Of them all. 1 had the pleasure last evening of visiting Webbers Falls lodge F. & A. M., and saw all Indi- an made Mason, he was very ln- telligent man indeed. The Creek Indians have the finest prairie coun- try ever saw, but the Choctaws and Cherokees have the finest timbered country I ever saw. We saw four tribes of wild Indians on Reserva- tons, some of them are making some advancement in the arts Of civilization and industry, but in spite of the fact that the govern ment is doing all it can in the way of furnishing them with comfortable houses, good horses and wagons and other implements of industry, they will move out of their houses into a wigwam, put on blanket and as far as possible resume their former habits. Most all of these tribes are the Taukoways, who are the only tribe of canibals in this country. A government officer told me that they seemed to have a perfect mania for human flesh, and that they devoured almost all their children.
 The southwestern part of Kansas and eastern Colorado, is one vast treeless plain, and is worth nothing for agricultural purposes. A very intelligent lawyer from Vermont, who has located in Colorado said that no one but d. fool, supposed that grain of any kind could be raised where it never rained, and frosted in June. The soil in many parts of the country, when brought under the in fuence of water, looks well, but to use the phrase of Mexican who had been at Corazo springs for if teen years, "it never rains, and there is no water to lrrigate.' I saw men hauling water seven miles, and try ing to build town at that. Corazo springs is as fine water as ever saw, but it is Al miles east to the next, Barton, and very poor sup. ply at that, taken from wells two hundred feet deep. We trayeled through eight counties in Kansas that will not make eight hundred bushels of corn, the chinch bug and drouth, have completely devastated the country.
 We'll I have had enough of the west to do me, and would say to all my friends in Arkansas, who are living in tbelr own houses, that they had better stay where they are. As I sad at the outset the Indian terri tory is the finest country in the world, and if it was open to white settlement, any man could afford to move here at any sacrifice.
 My old friends I. L. West, "Mack" Burris, Riley Burks and William Baily, are all here, and doing well. They are all applicants for citizen ship, with fair prospects of success. Crops here are simply immense.
 Regards to all my friends. We have received two numbers of the DEMOCRAT since our return here, and it does us so much good to hear from home. The children simply devour the paper I will stay here until spring, and do not know what I will do then.
 w. w. BRAsHEAR.